Flanked by dozens of support cars, more than 100 riders saddled up and sprinted towards Crawley Hill, en route first to Heatherside and then Deepcut.

At 220km or 135 miles, Stage 7 was the longest of this year's Tour of Britain, passing Frimley Green and Mytchett before weaving through Guildford and Waverley boroughs, eventually winding up on the seafront in Brighton.

Camberley was quietly transformed overnight from a quaint Surrey town to a bustling hive of activity as the vast team buses descended.

Come 8.30am and the streets were already filling up with punters, parents, excitable youngsters and hundreds of lycra-clad devotees.

Park Street pubs The Bear and The Carpenters Arms did roaring trade with barbeques blazing from the off.

In the cyclists quarters, there was a calmness that underlined the importance of the stage, with the Tour crown still very much up for grabs.